Shaggy Frog
by powerofthepen123
Summary: Spud's thoughts during the episode of the same name. K because I was only eight when I watched the show, so I figure that's reasonable.


Disclaimer: I don't own American Dragon: Jake Long

Spud glared at his gym locker ferociously, jabbing a finger at it as his eye twitched slightly in frustration. "Okay, joke's over, now give me my clothes!" He grabbed on and yanked hard, frustrated. But he wasn't strong enough. He'd _never _be strong enough. "Stupid locker 896, open up!" He pulled harder, his palms growing red from the strain.

He knew he could just ask Jake for help, but he hated watching his best friend do everything so effortlessly - except touch sphinx hair - that he couldn't, that he'd never be able to do. Back when he'd first found out Jake was a dragon, Spud had hoped there was some way his friend could make him one too. Then, when he'd seen Gramps shift for the first time, and later Haley, he'd realized it was genetic.

And that meant Spud was genetically screwed.

"I overslept, missed breakfast, and am in no mood to be standing here in boxers that got stained pink by the powdered gelatin I left in my pants for reasons I AM NOT EXPLAINING TO YOU!" he screamed at the locker, planting his feet on it in another desperate attempt to get it open.

Jake turned to look at him, unable to hide the weirded-out expression on his face. "Yo, Spud, need some help with that gym locker?"

Spud leaped and kicked the locker, then fell back down hard with a groan of pain. Great. Jake winced, as if he'd ever be able to understand. _He'd _probably never been injured trying to get a locker open.

"I got it," Spud muttered, flat on his back on the locker room floor. Oh, that was nasty. He'd seen what went on those floors. The locker above him suddenly popped open, revealing a storage space of athletic equipment. Spud looked up in horror. "Shattering shin guards! Not the equipment locker!" Sports equipment began to fall on top of him. "Basketball...softball...aggghhh...disks...hey, when did we get a bowling...AH!" The bowling ball crashed down painfully. "...team?!"

"Come on," Jake told him, walking over to Spud's locker. "Just let me use a little dragon claw on this bad boy..." Blue fiery energy engulfed the smaller boy's forearm, and his "human" skin was replaced by red scales and five black claws.

Jake reached over and began to open the locker. Spud hurried over, panicking. God, if Jake saw...

"No! This is between me and the locker!"

Sadly, Spud was no match for his best friend's supernatural strength. Even as he put all his energy into forcing the locker shut, he could sense that Jake was barely even trying - he was going _easy _on him, the way he would with any other human - and he was _still _stronger.

"Just let me do it, Spud!" Jake pleaded. Spud could tell Jake was trying to make it sound as if Spud would be doing him a favor, but Spud knew Jake was just trying to spare his pride.

The locker flew open - wide open - and both boys hit the ground with a grunt. Spud looked up at the locker, then over at his best friend.

Jake rubbed his black-and-green hair and opened his eyes as he got up. "Huh?"

This was officially the most embarrassing moment of Spud's life. Worse than all those disastrous talent shows, even. God, all that time he'd been _pretending _to have magic when his best friend had the real thing running through his very DNA - if dragons even _had_ DNA; he'd always felt weird about asking.

"The Spud-ical dragon?" Jake asked, baffled.

Spud got up and slammed the locker shut, standing in front of it in mortification. "So now you know my secret dream. I hope you're happy." He folded his arms and avoided his friend's eyes.

"I-I thought your dream was to live in a chocolate house and raise marshmallow animals?" Jake stammered, clearly almost as embarrassed as Spud was.

"No, that's my _plan_," Spud corrected, lifting his gaze to Jake's. Ugh, why couldn't he keep the pathetic look off his face? This was just stupid. "My _dream _is to be a magical-powered hero, like you."

Self-consciously, Jake avoided _his _eyes now. "Aw, Spud, come on now...it's not all that great being a magical hero...Besides, you got your own Spud thing going on..."

Yeah, but he couldn't fly or breathe fire or attract hot magical girls.

"People respect that," Jake concluded.

Yeah, right.


End file.
